The last big-screen incarnation of The Dark Knight was part of the wider DCEU, but, as far as we know, the version of the iconic DC Comics vigilante we'll meet in Matt Reeves' The Batman will exist in his own universe.
While speaking to Empire Magazine for their latest issue, producer Dylan Clark reaffirms that Reeves' film is indeed "standalone" in nature, but will also "lay a foundation that you can build stories upon.”
"Warner Bros. has a multiverse where they're exploring different ways to use the character," he added. "We don't get involved in that. Matt is interested in pushing this character to his emotional depths and shaking him to his core."
Star Robert Pattinson also weighs in, admitting that he's "made a kind of map for where Bruce’s psychology would grow over two more movies. I would love to do it.”
A direct sequel may not have been officially greenlit yet, but we do know that Warner Bros. is planning more projects set in the same world, with Gotham PD and a solo Penguin show currently being developed for HBO Max. Whether Pattinson's Caped Crusader will show up remains to be seen, but you have to believe that the door is open for Batman to have a presence in a Batman spinoff series!
Depending on how successful The Batman proves to be, we could see Pattinson's take on the character in the DCEU proper at some point. After all, The Flash is expected to explore DC's take on the Multiverse in a big way, and we know both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck's previous Dark Knights will appear.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.